4 Age of the Silurians
by Dr Vanya
Summary: After a crash landing the Doctor finds himself on a world ruled by the Silurians. The once great civilisation prepares to a threat that could mean their destruction, does this traveller from the stars hold the key to their survival?
1. Part 1

Age of the Silurians

By Vanya

Part 1

In an insignificant storeroom sat a mysterious blue box. No one really knew how it got there and amongst all the commotion no one really cared. But this box was more important than any of them would ever realise, its very presence able to alter the course of entire civilisations.

Within the box stood two well dressed people, a tall man in a brown suit and a petite girl dressed predominantly in purple. The Doctor walked round the main console, throwing switches while mentally running down the list of possible destinations. But as he tired to guide his ship he grew concerned. The TARDIS was protesting more than usual, something was wrong, he could feel it. He began to inspect the dials, looking for some clue as to what was the matter, and then the problems really started.

There was a muffled booming noise and the control room rocked violently sending Haze sprawling across the floor while the Doctor gripped the console for support.

"What happened," she asked in a panicked voice and with a Scottish accent, "Are we OK?"

"Oh we're fine," he projected an unnatural air of calm with his words, "Well except for one small, almost insignificant thing."

"What's that?"

"We're going to crash."

"Crash? How can we crash? We're in a box!" With great effort Haze pulled herself to her feet and staggered over to the console where the Doctor was desperately trying regain control.

"We're not actually in the box, we're more....Look this is hardly the time!" he attempted to engage every stabiliser on board, "Flip those switches, by your left hand."

"Which ones?"

"All of them!"

Haze hurriedly obeyed, "Will it help?"

"I hope so."

As she worked her way down the console sparks began to fly, she shrieked and hurriedly pulled her hand away. The TARDIS gave one final lurch, despite the Doctor's valiant efforts the crash was imminent.

"This is it," the Doctor said grimly, "Hold on tight!"

*************************************************

The TARDIS had been designed with a specific function, to dematerialise from one place and to materialise in another, relatively straight forward. But in times of crisis materialisation could be slightly more problematic and random process. This was such a crisis and rather than a neat materialisation on the ground the outer shell appeared high in the air, it fell to the ground below, crashing through the trees, spinning all the way down.

Darrok the hunter watched from his perch. He didn't know what he was seeing, but he knew that it would change the world.

*************************************************

"Are you alright?" The Doctor and Haze both lay sprawled on the floor if the control room after their undignified landing.

"I think so," she replied, shakily getting to her feet, "What the hell just happened?"

"There was something in the vortex, a very nasty trap, blew us right off course." the Doctor continued to lie where he had fallen, staring up at the console.

"So where exactly are we?" said Haze as stood over him, peering down.

"Couldn't tell you, the scanner was the first thing to go. We've lost quite a few critical systems in the crash. It's going to need a lot of work before we're up and running again."

"Well you'd better get to work then, I'm going to take a look round."

"I wouldn't recommend it."

"Why, we're not floating round space or anything are we?"

"No, I just don't think it's a good idea, unknown planet and all that."

"Are you going to stop me?"

A moment's silence, "No, your choice entirely." he smiled to himself, if she hadn't been the type to go out exploring she'd never have come along in the first place.

"Right then."

"Haze."

She turned around on her way to the door to see the Doctor reach into his jacket and produce a key on a long chain. Still lying down he raised his arm up and let it dangle. Haze crossed back an took it, quickly tucking the key into the inside pocket of her jacket.

"Thanks." she said as she walked towards the main door again.

"Don't forget to lock up on the way out, I don't want the local wildlife rampaging through here."

*************************************************

When Haze stepped out of the TARDIS the first thing that hit her was the humidity, she quickly pulled off the jacket, draping it over her arm. As she walked around she quickly realised that she was totally inappropriately dressed for the environment. Their last port of call had necessitated a certain degree of formality and professionalism, and so she was still dressed in a business suit. The high heels were digging into the ground and the knee length skirt would not have aided movement or provided any protection. The colour of the suit, a deep violet, matching the colour of her dyed hair, stood out a mile away against the lush green of the landscape.

The arrival of the TARDIS had already upset this patch of the jungle. The foliage had been torn apart where they had come crashing through. Now the commotion had died down there was an unsettling quiet, the disturbance had been enough to send all the wildlife in the area running for the nearest hidey-hole. Haze walked around the crashed box, trying to at least get some idea of the local layout. She walked through a gap in the trees, beyond them was a sheer drop, but also a view of the valley below. The jungle stretched out all around, stopping at the base of a mountain range which cut into the the sky. Haze stared at the peaks, her eyes following the irregular shapes. There was something strange about it, something artificial. A city? Yes, she was sure, a city built into the side of the mountain, into the rock itself. Whatever planet they were on there was, or at least had been intelligent life. She turned and walked back to the TARDIS.

*************************************************

"Speak Darrok, what news do you bring us?"

"What is so urgent that you must disturb us at this time?"

Darrock stood before the three elders in the large stone cavern where they convened. The chamber was dark, the elders themselves barely visible except for the faint red glow of their eyes. There was a moments silence, the only sound a slight trickle of water. Darrok spoke his news, "Something has fallen from the sky, I believe it to be of importance."

"Importance? Darrok, we are facing the greatest threat that our world has ever seen. Our entire population is at risk and you speak of one insignificant thing that fell from the sky?"

"There was something unusual about it. It was a box, a blue box it fell somewhere in the jungle."

"Indeed Darrok? Tell us more about this unusual box. What makes it special?" the second elder spoke again.

Darrok hung his head, "I do not know."

The third elder broke the silence, "Then why should we we spare you our resources to seek it out?"

"Because I believe that it is not of our world, that it could hold the key to our survival."

"Very well Darrok," the first elder rejoined the debate, "Assemble your hunters and seek out and investigate this blue box and report what you find to us. If it is what you say then it shall be brought here."

"Thank you elders." Darrok turned and swiftly left the chamber.

Once he was gone the second elder turned his attention to the first, "Do you believe there is anything to this matter?"

"It makes no difference," replied the first, "Darrok is a hunter, he can do nothing for the crisis. For now we shall let him hunt."

*************************************************

"That was quick." The Doctor was up and about and had begun to open up the main console, inspecting the damage.

"Wherever we are it's mostly jungle out there. Saw signs of life though."

The Doctor mumbled something in agreement while staring at the damaged circuits.

"I'm going to put on something a little more appropriate and take another look round, OK?"

"Mmm? Yes fine."

As Haze stepped into the back the Doctor continued to work. She'd already come along way in the short time they had been together. When they first met she had been living out of a camper van, travelling all over Britain reporting on alien sightings for her website. It was her desire to spread the truth had driven her to give up everything normal in her life and seek out things that many others didn't even believe were real, the Doctor admired that. Her lifestyle had mimicked his own, the impermanence of it all, never staying in once place too long and travelling in a vehicle that served as both their home was well as means of transport. Their paths had finally crossed in a small town in Scotland. They had both been drawn there by the recent UFO sightings, but had soon found themselves confronted with an intergalactic security force, intent on bring home a group of refugees by any means necessary. Her quick thinking and resourcefulness had impressed him greatly, and he'd wanted to show her the wonders of the universe. But now they were stranded on some unknown planet with a broken TARDIS.

"Good job." he muttered to himself, and continued to repair the console.

*************************************************

Darrok looked out over the jungle, his jungle. Unlike the rest of his people he had felt more at home out there than in the confines of the city. He was drawn to mysterious box, he didn't know why, but deep down he could feel it was important and that now it gave him purpose. His people were facing a threat, one so severe that it threatened them all, not one city, not one continent, but the entire planet was at risk. The greatest minds from all over the world worked tirelessly with one mutual goal, survival. But Darrok was a hunter, he knew little of science, he could not build great machines to save them. Now was his chance, he could lead his hunters out into the jungle and bring back their prize. For once he had the chance to be a hero to his people.

Darrok set off through the stone corridors, emerging at the base of the mountainous city. In the cave before him was everything he would need for his hunt, an array of weapons and tools lined the walls and the mounts were tethered in their pen. Waiting for Darrok were his hunters, Kutiipo, a formidable female warrior, well known for her vicious style and short temper, and Porak, a young male Darrok had trained since birth.

"Put down the weapon Kutiipo," Darrok commanded as entered, "We have a different quarry today."

The female hunter had been sharpening her prized spear, "But we are hunters Darrok, surely we must arm ourselves?"

"Today we do not hunt to kill, today we hunt to save our people."

"And what is it that we hunt?" Kutiipo rose to her feet to look Darrok in the eye, "Do you really believe you will be the one to save us? "

It was an unlikely situation, the fate of the civilisation resting with Darrok. They came from a culture that prized mental prowess over physical skill, Darrok however was different. He lacked the mental ability of his brothers. Instead he hunted, training the few willing to learn. He was shunned by society, considered a relic of a more primitive time. Perhaps more than the others Darrok understood the need for violence although he was not the savage they perceived. He also understood the need for discipline, not tolerating decent in his ranks. His hand flashed up and grabbed Kutiipo's spear. In response she tightened her grip, but Darrok used this against her, twisting his arm and flipping her to the ground. She hissed angrily, but lay still as Darrok pressed the spear to her throat.

"We seek a box that fell from the sky," he released his grip on the spear, letting it fall to the the ground, "Take it if you must."

Angrily the female hunter got to her feet, "Then perhaps I will have a hunt of my own, let us not waste the trip."

"Are the mount's ready?" having made his point Darrok turned his attention to Porak.

"Yes Darrok, they are ready to ride."

"Good, then we ride out immediately."

*************************************************

Despite her best efforts Haze had been enjoying the TARDIS wardrobe. She'd never had a particular interest in fashion, but she'd spent five years living out of a camper van and shopping in charity shops. After that suddenly having access to an almost infinite supply of outfits was an incredible feeling. Navigating the massive wardrobe was often a difficult task, but Haze was able to find the Doctor's equivalent of an outdoor section. She selected a lightweight pair of safari trousers, shirt and a pair of hiking boots and changed quickly. She picked up a wide brimmed hat as she went for for the exit only to the Doctor leaning against the door frame, waiting.

"One thing before you leave." he said quickly, and began rummaging though racks. Tucked away in a corner was on old fashioned steamer trunk. He lifted the lid, and after a moment of searching produced what appeared to be a cast-iron pistol and threw the weapon to Haze. Catching it she noted it was deceptively light, probably more sophisticated than it looked.

"Tranquilliser," the Doctor explained, "Not something I normally recommend, but it is a jungle out there. Be careful."

Haze tucked the weapon into her waistband, feeling the cold metal against the small of her back. "Not to worry Doctor, I won't be going to far, just don't want to miss the opportunity to explore some strange new world. I'd go crazy stuck in here. Besides, you're probably better off fixing the TARDIS with out me."

"Oh, I don't know, I could use some assistance. I need someone to fetch, to carry, to hold things down, hold the torch...."

"Well if you want I'll stay then I suppose I could give up this chance just to help you."

"No, no, you want to explore. You go out, see you 'strange new world' and I'll shut myself away in the dark and toil away getting us going again."

"Thanks, I knew you'd understand." she grinned as she ran for the main door and the jungle beyond.

The Doctor couldn't help but smile back.

*************************************************

Darrok pulled on the reins and raised his hands, signalling for his hunters to stop.

"We are close," he announced, gesturing towards the top of the ridge, "We split up and we search the jungle."

He dug in his heels and guided his mount onwards to the jungle. Behind him Kutiipo and Porak set out in the opposite direction.

"Let him seek his prize," Kutiipo hissed as she sniffed the air, "There are primates here, I can smell them. We shall seek out a real quarry."

*************************************************

Fully equipped Haze stepped back into the jungle, locking the TADDIS behind her. For ease of navigation she set of in a straight line from the door into the jungle. As she reached a fallen tree she paused and contemplated the situation. Exploring this unknown planet was a strange experience. All your life you can wonder about what it would be like to walk on the surface of another planet, but once you're there things are never quite as marvellous as you expect, your very presence somehow makes it seem normal. It was still an incredible sight, brightly colour birds flitted though the air, monkey like creatures swung though the trees and some kind of snake slithered though the undergrowth. Yet somehow there was a familiarity to it all, the plants and animals were no more strange and exotic than those found on the jungles of Earth. But still, opportunities like don't arise every day, and so Haze kept on walking.

*************************************************

"Bingo!"the Doctor jumped to his feet after his triumphant yell. He was finally getting a handle on the damage and the first major system was back on-line. He consulted the scanner, the first step to successfully navigating away from this planet was to figure out exactly where you were in space and time. Feeling hopeful for the first time since the crash he checked the coordinates.

"Oh no." Then checked them again.

"No, no, no." And then a third time.

"Of all the bad places in the universe to land......" He muttered as he sprinted for the door.

*************************************************

As she continued through the jungle Haze began to get a sense that something wasn't right. Nervously she glanced around, she was being watched she could feel it. She jumped as a strange, blood curdling howl sounded in the distance. She reached back and tapped her tranquilliser pistol, reassured by the fact that it was still there. All of a sudden exploring this strange and potentially hostile jungle seemed less appealing. It was time to return to the TARDIS, maybe acting as the Doctor's grease monkey wasn't such a bad idea. She began to double back on her route, but became aware and noise, faint at first but getting closer, something very large was crashing through the undergrowth. She quickly spun round to see the attacking creature.

_Dinosaur?_ The word flashed through Haze's mind. As unlikely as it seemed she was right. Charging towards her was a large reptilian creature, it's scaly hide a deep murky green. It's head was lowered, it's nostrils flared and two bloodshot eyes staring her down. A deep red tongue protruded from its mouth, full of nasty, pointed teeth. Perhaps the strangest detail of the creature was the reigns that extended from its neck and were held by the creature's rider, another reptile, but with the proportions of a man.

Frozen for only a moment Haze reached round to he back and drew the tranquilliser, closing her eyes as she squeezed the trigger. A bolt of bright green energy lanced out from the pistol striking the advancing reptile. The creature reared up, throwing it's rider before crashing to the floor of the jungle.

After a moments silence Haze came to the realisation that she was still standing. She opened her eyes to the the stunned dinosaur, the rider slowly clambering to its feet. Wasting no time the turned and began to run back the way she had come. There was a loud crash, Haze threw up her arms, startled as a second mounted reptile cut her off. She raised her arm, but before she could fire the rider lashed out. The flat of a spear connected with Haze's wrist, sending the pistol flying off in to the undergrowth. As she backed away he foot became entangled in an exposed root and she fell to the ground. The hunter advanced on he as she crawled backwards until her back was pressed against a tree. She looked up, getting the first real chance to see her attacker.

The reptile person had the same basic proportions of a human, but its skin was a dark mottled brown. It had a small, oval mouth, its ears projected laterally from the skull and its nostrils pointed downwards. At the top of its head sat a glowing red eye, but it was the creature's main eyes, fierce and yellow, that caused Haze the most concern. As she stared into its eyes it stared straight back with the blood-lust of a proud hunter. It let out a screech of victory as it pointed its spear towards her......

End of part 1


	2. Part 2

Age of the Silurians

By Vanya

Part 2

With her back against the tree Haze starred up at her attacker. The reptile let out a screech of victory as it pointed its spear towards her. Haze shut here eyes, _This is it_, she thought, _this is the end. _Suddenly a deep hissing voice cut through the jungle.

"Halt!"

Haze opened her eyes to see a third mounted reptile ride in to view. He positioned himself between her and her would be attacker.

"You fool Kutiipo," it hissed angrily, "Can you not see this is no ordinary primate?"

"You brought us to hunt Darrok, so I hunted."

"Are you injured?" the third reptile, who seemed to be called Darrok had turned his attention to Haze.

She hesitated nervously "I don't think so. Thank you." she added as an afterthought. Whatever and whoever it was had just saved her life, best to be courteous.

"There, it speaks! This creature is intelligent and you would have killed it like a beast. Get out of my sight Kutiipo, find Porak and send him to me."

Kutiipo hissed angrily, but obeyed, steering her mount back towards the city.

"I must apologise for my hunters. They are good at what they do, but what they do normally is to kill," he dismounted his dinosaur and reached his hand out, "I am Darrok, chief hunter for my people."

"Pleased to meet you, I am Haze," she took the scaly hand and was pulled to her feet, "I just sort of travel around at the moment."

"Yes, a traveller," Darrok's eyes filled with excitement, "A traveller from the stars. You came in the box that fell from the sky?"

"I did, we crashed here by accident. Sorry about that."

"Do not be sorry, this is glorious news. Someone who travels amongst the stars can surly help us."

"Help you? What's wrong?" This planet grew stranger by the minute, one moment she was prey, the next she was being treated like some kind of saviour. Feeling the heat she nervously removed her hat and began to fan herself.

"There is an object in space, a great rock, that is hurtling towards our world. When it strikes it will surly destroy us all. Our greatest minds are seeking a solution to this problem, but we are running out of time. Can you offer any assistance?"

"I'll try, but my expertees are more observing objects in space than stopping them. To be honest, I think we need the Doctor."

**********************************************

The Doctor sprinted though the jungle. _This is not good_, he told himself. They had managed to crash in on of the most dangerous time zones possible, best to leave now before any serious damage can be done. If anyone were to learn the truth, Haze or the inhabitants of this planet the consequences could be disastrous.

As he ran the Doctor vaulted a fallen tree, when he landed he squatted down and checked the tracks. Haze's tracks were faint, but distinct. He was close, he had to be, she couldn't have gotten too far in the time she'd been gone. He continued on through the jungle. Suddenly he caught a flash of purple. _Haze_. He ran towards where his companion was standing.

"Haze!"

"Over here Doctor."

"Come on, we have to leave, now! Its not safe." He kept running, quickly finding himself face to face with the short Scottish girl. But he stopped dead when he saw the figure with her, a Silurian. _No!_

"We can't go yet. This is Darrok, he was just telling me about the threat facing this planet."

The Doctor looked around, things were getting worse at an alarming rate, Haze had managed to make contact with the indigenous population in record time and he had a horrible feeling he knew exactly what the threat was. He turned his attention to the Silurian. This was one conversation that could only end badly.

"Hello Darrok, nice to meet you, I'm the Doctor, sorry about your planet." he suppressed a slight shudder, "OK Haze, time to leave."

"Doctor!" she was shocked by the flippancy of his response, "This whole planet is in danger, we have to help."

"Please Doctor, our need is dire. We need your help."

"We cannot help you."

"Then I am sorry Doctor." There was something odd about his tone, it seemed genuinely apologetic.

"Sorry, what are you sorry for?" But the Doctor quickly got his answer.

With the speed and reflexes honed over years of hunting Darrok grabbed Haze, wrapping his forearm around her neck. She struggled, but like all of Darrok's prey she quickly lost conciousness. The Silurian let her body fall to the floor.

"That was a mistake Darrok, I want you to know that." The Doctor spoke slowly and firmly, looking the Silurian in the eye.

Darrok took up the pose of the fighter, knees bent and arms spread, ready to attack, "If you have the knowledge of how to save my world then I will do whatever it takes to use it."

The Doctor mimicked the pose and the two slowly began to circle each other, "I'm willing to forgive the attack on Haze, just let us leave, we can't help you."

"Why not?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

A bolt of green light lanced out striking the Doctor causing him to collapse to the floor. Kutiipo emerged from the jungle, tranquilliser pistol in hand, followed closely by Porak.

"This is a most efficient weapon Darrok," she remarked, "Why do you not allow us to hunt with such things?"

"Because they lack skill and honour," responded Darrok in disgust, "Now load them onto the mounts, we are taking them back to the city."

**********************************************

Several hours later Haze was beginning to regain conciousness. She blinked a few times as she tried to take in her blurred surroundings. They were in a cave, she was pretty sure of that much, it was dark, damp, but still quite humid. After a moments feeling around she was able to lay her hands on her glasses, placed next to where she was lying. Putting them on helped very little, it just brought the cavern into sharper focus. The Doctor lay a short distance away from her, after a quick check of his vitals she concluded that he was indeed unconscious. When a few sharp slaps to the face prove ineffective to wake him Haze decided to explore her surroundings, as limited as they were. The cave itself was pretty nondescript, a natural formation. A thin shaft of light shone down from high in the ceiling, they were clearly underground. The mouth had been blocked, transformed into a doorway. She examined the door, but there was no way to open it. For now they were trapped.

**********************************************

Once again Darrok stood before the elders.

"Welcome back Darrok, the triumphant hunter." the greeting from the first elder was the warmest Darrok had ever received.

"You have done well Darrok," the second elder continued, "These travellers from the stars are of much interest to us. Your achievements have been reported to the Triad."

"Thank you elders, you honour me."

The third elder gestured to another figure in the meeting, "Abpor will be working with the aliens, learning what they know of the stars."

The first elder spoke again, "From now on Darrok your job is to protect him, we do not know what these travellers are capable of."

"With all due respect elders," Darrok protested, "My place is in the jungle, I request the opportunity to recover the box in which they arrived."

He had encountered Abpor before, a scientist with a great mind but one that lacked morality. After his cruel experiments had been halted he had been given the seemingly harmless task of mapping the stars in way of punishment. But this was the task that had identified the object that threatened their world and had restored his status within society. Darrok disliked him greatly.

"That is not necessary Darrok, as we speak Kutiipo and Porak are leading our people to it, soon it will be within the city. Your place is with Abpor and the travellers. The decision is final, leave and carry out your duties."

**********************************************

In the holding cave the Doctor was beginning to stir.

"We've been captured haven't we?" he asked, staring up at the ceiling.

"Yes we have," Haze was sitting in a corner, but sprang to he feet when the Doctor awoke, "Trapped in a sealed cavern with no hope of escape."

"Damn. I can't believe I let them stun me, I should have seen them coming."

Haze held out her hand and pulled the Doctor to his feet, "Don't feel so bad, I didn't even see it happen, I was already down by then."

"That's right," the Doctor said with a slight chuckle, "You actually thought you'd made friends with him!"

"I know, we're a right pair of idiots!" then they were both laughing at their predicament. Once the amusement had died down Haze added, "We're screwed aren't we?"

"Yes, yes we are."

**********************************************

Darrok left the elders' cavern accompanying Abpor. Despite his achievements, despite the honours bestowed upon him by the elders Darrok could still feel that Abpor was looking down on him as he had always done. Darrok told the scientist all he knew about the travellers, the response was predictably arrogant.

"You will avoid speaking to the aliens from now on Darrok," Abpor commanded once Darrok had finished, "These being are clearly from a highly advanced world, we do not want to appear as primitives. They will want to converse with with someone who can communicate on an intellectual level, not a savage."

"But I have already spoken with them, they know who I am."

"You rendered them unconscious and brought them here against their will. I hope I can repair the damage that you have done."

**********************************************

"Why did you say we couldn't help them?" Haze's mind went back the the time in the jungle, the Doctor's reluctance to help still confused her.

"I can't tell you, sorry."

"And why not? We're only in the mess because you refused to help. I think I deserve an explanation."

"And you will get one in due course, but I can't tell you anything now. You see the Silurians are a slightly telepathic race, they can read minds. Now a mind like mine is pretty good at keeping them out, but you're not so lucky. Oh don't get offended, its not your fault, just the way your race has evolved."

Haze nodded, it made sense, and she didn't need the ability to read minds to realise that the Doctor had dealt with the Silurians before. But what had happened? What could they have done to make him so unwilling to save them?

"Right now the less you know the better," he continued, "Because if they were to learn the truth it could be very dangerous for both of us, but especially for you."

With that warning the door to the cavern swung open, revealing Darrok accompanied by a second Silurian.

"I am Abpor," the reptile announced, "I am a scientist. I have come once again to ask for your assistance during this time."

"Hello Abpor, I'm the Doctor, and I'm sorry, but we cannot help you."

"I am sorry to hear that Doctor. Do not let Darrok's primitive ways prejudice you against us, the Silurians are a more enlighten than a common hunter. I know that you both came from the stars, so I know that you possess the knowledge, but not the will. Tell me, what is the name of your world."

Haze opened he mouth to reply, but was cut off by the Doctor with a single world, "Gallifrey."

"I see. Now tell me Doctor, wouldn't you do everything in you power to save Gallifrey if it was under threat?"

"I did."

Abpor's third eye flashed thoughtfully and even Haze turned to the Doctor in surprise, in the short time they had been together he had never mentioned his own planet.

"I see," Abpor spoke again, "You have lost your home world. Is that why you wonder the stars, because you have nowhere else?"

"Yes."

"Then surly sympathise with my desire to save my world?"

"I sympathise Abpor, I really do. But there is nothing I can do for you."

"That is unfortunate, because if you have fought to save your world then surely you understand how far I will go to save mine. I can take what I want by force." Abpor's third eye glowed in preparation.

"Wait!" Darrok spoke up for the first time.

"For what Darrok?" Abpor responded impatiently.

"Take the small one...."

"Hey!" protested Haze.

"She was more willing to help when we met, maybe she can still be persuaded without the need for force."

"Don't you touch her!" the Doctor rose to lunged at Abpor, but Darrok jumped in, pinning him to the wall.

"Do not make this harder than it has to be Doctor."

The Doctor stared into the face of his captor, into his eyes, all of them. Something wasn't right, although mellowed there was still a fierceness in his two yellow eyes, but his third eye didn't display even the slightest flicker, it was dead. There was clearly something wrong with Darrok.

"I'm going, I'm going, you don't have to push." the Doctor's concentration was broken by Haze's voice, she was being led out of the room by Abpor.

"Do not worry Doctor," Darrok reassured him, "She will not be harmed, you have my word."

When he was released the Doctor sank to the floor. He wasn't convinced, he'd heard that one before.

**********************************************

Haze was led through the cave complex by Abpor, finally emerging into the open at the mountain's peak. Evening was beginning to set in and the skyline was dominated by a brilliant sunset. Winged creatures circled the peaks, coming in to roost on a nearby mountain.

"This is our observatory," Abpor announced, "It is from here that we have been working to observe and counter the object."

Despite her predicament Haze was fascinated by her surroundings, unlike the jungle this place felt truly alien. The entire city was built into an existing cave system but the community didn't seem invasive. The technology running through seemed to be of an organic basis and the Silurians appeared to be total in harmony with the natural world.

She ran her hand over what she assumed was the telescope, it didn't look like it had been constructed, but grown from a seedling and nurtured into a piece of equipment. Abpor turned her attention to another organic machine. Its outer skin was like petrified wood and it pointed upwards forming two great prongs. What appeared to be a computer terminal sat by its side.

"This is what I hope to to use to deflect the object away from us with a directed energy pulse. However all attempts so far have proved unsuccessful. We need you help to make it work or to present an alternative solution."

Haze stared at the machine. She took off, wiped and replaced her glasses, ran her fingers through her hair and then stared at the machine again. It was hopeless, they thought she was something she wasn't. The Silurians were clearly advanced, but their advancements had gone in different directions to the ones on Earth. Even the technology that had brought her here was beyond her comprehension, she wasn't some great saviour from the stars, just a lost traveller. By the time she got to grips with the machine it would be too late. This is where they needed the Doctor and his reluctance to help was starting to eat away at her. She knew he must have his reason, but she couldn't respect them until she understood them.

"Lets not get ahead of ourselves here," she needed to simplify things, put them in terms that she understood, "Can I see what you have on the object, figures, statistics, that sort of thing."

Abpor nodded and led her inside into a cavern, where the relevant information was projected onto a glass screen. _This is more like it_ she thought. As hard as it was to believe she had once, years ago, looked forward to a relatively normal life. Haze had always been a gifted student, excelling in the sciences at school. She had been accepted to study astrophysics at Oxford University, but in her final year had started seeing aliens and conspiracies and gave up any hope of normality to spread the truth. But it was her grounding in astrophysics that was serving her now. She began to examine the object, represented as a dull, vaguely spherical lump of grey rock. She looked at the distance, the speed and at the the size.

"Oh my God!" it was impossible. She looked at the numbers again. The radius, the mass, the volume, it had been years since she'd studied but she knew those numbers, there was only one thing that object could be......

The Silurians turned in response to the loud exclamation,"What is it?" Abpor asked urgently.

"I need to talk to the Doctor."

"But......"

"I need to talk to the Doctor _now_!"

**********************************************

As quickly as they had come Haze was rushed back through the cave system, coming to a halt at the door to the holding cave. Abpor's third eye glowed causing the door to swing open and Haze rushed in. The Doctor jumped to his feet.

"You didn't waste any time, solved the problem already?"

Haze hugged the Doctor quickly then turned back to Abpor, "Can we have some privacy please?"

The Silurian nodded and the door swung closed.

"Doctor, I looked at the object...." Haze was out breath and shaking.

"It's OK, slow down."

"I looked it, I look at its stats."

"And...."

"It's the moon! I'd recognise it anywhere! _The_ moon! _My_ moon!" she took a short pause to regain her breath, "We're on Earth aren't we?"

The Doctor nodded, "Around 50 million years in your past."

"And the Silurians?"

"A race of intelligent reptiles who ruled the planet long before humans even evolved."

"I heard rumours, people reporting sightings of reptile men. But they were vague, there was no real proof. I never took them seriously, dismissing them as people who thought they'd seen the Creature from the Black Lagoon. And now I see they were ruling the Earth! What happened to them?"

"This crisis happened. They saw an object the size of a small planet heading towards them, their scientists predicted that it would pass by the Earth, bringing with it massive tidal waves and volcanic activities and for a grand finale all the air would be drawn up from the surface of the planet. In response all the Silurians and the Sea Devils went underground into hibernation. But something went wrong, they failed to wake up and ultimately lost the planet to a bunch of evolved apes who took over. That's you by the way." he added when Haze stood silent.

Now calmed down she took a deep breath, "In that case we have a have a serious problem."

"Apart from being trapped in here?"

"Yes. You see I looked at the speed and trajectory, the moon isn't going to pass by, it's going to hit."

End of part 2


	3. Part 3

Age of the Silurians

By Vanya

Part 3

"Hit? It's going to collide with the Earth? Are you sure?"

Haze nodded "I'm certain, I went over everything myself."

"This isn't right."

"You think?" Haze screamed, starting to panic again, "We're stranded millions of years in the past, held prisoners by prehistoric reptile men with a very real danger of being hit by the moon. What part of this could possibly be considered 'right'?"

"I assume that's a rhetorical question."

"Damn right! And what's with the name? Silurians? Last I checked the name of the Silurian period was a human invention."

"Actually this is the Eocene period."

"What?" the sheer number of revelations was proving too much for Haze and she sank to the floor with her head in her hands.

"That one's my fault, when I first encountered them we called them Silurians by mistake and the name just stuck. They don't actually call themselves Silurians anyway, that's the telepathic field of the TARDIS at work."

"Great, well that's one mystery solved. Now all we have to do is figure out how to move the moon and save the Earth. But if we give them the help they want then the moon gets moved into a safe orbit, everything's fine, except for the fact that Earth remains under Silurian rule and my race never evolves. And we can't do nothing, because then the moon hits the Earth and does untold damage making it uninhabitable for millions of years. Doctor, we're in one hell of a predicament."

"I know." The Doctor wanted to smile. Despite the weight of the facts that had been thrust upon her Haze was coping with the situation surprisingly well, as well as anyone could have been expected to cope under the circumstances. She had already grasped the complexity of the situation and was trying to find the solution. In that respect her understanding of the entire predicament was only a few steps behind his own.

"So, any ideas?" She asked after a long pause.

"One or two, what sort of time-scale are we talking about with the impact?"

"It's early days yet, well over a year, maybe as much as two before it hits."

"Good then we have time."

"Time for what? In case you haven't noticed we're still trapped in a cavern."

And with that the door once again swung open to reveal Abpor and Darrok.

"Bound to happen." she muttered.

"You have convened long enough," Abpor said, "I will ask you one more time for the help we need."

"Sorry Abpor, we can't....." Haze began.

"Quiet! It is clear that you know nothing of use. I must speak with the Doctor."

"I can't give you what you want." said the Doctor.

"Then I shall take what I want."

Abpor's third eye began to glow. The Doctor stood firm for a moment, but collapsed under the pressure of the mental attack.

"No!" Haze yelled, attempting to run to his aid, but was restrained by Darrok.

"Do not fight me Doctor," the Silurian continued, "You will only prolong the suffering. My people have highly advanced mental abilities and I am the best at what I do."

Abpor's face lifted, displaying what could only be described as a smile, "But you knew that didn't you Doctor? Yes, you've encountered my people before, but in the future."

The Doctor looked up with a look of pained concentration on his face.

"I can see it all now, this ape girl you have with you, she's from this planet, her people stole the world from us while we slept. Slept? Yes, we survive this through hibernation."

The Doctor was loosing the battle, letting out a pained scream.

"No!" Haze cried out, "Stop, please, you're killing him!

But Abpor ignored her, continuing his mental onslaught, "But there's more in here, so much more. The knowledge you hold in your head Time Lord. We don't need to hibernate. Once we have survived the crisis, a simple gravity trap will see to that, then the Silurian Empire can rise. With what I know now we can reach the stars! We can......." and then Abpor went quiet.

It had all happened so fast. One moment Haze was being held back, helpless. But Darrrok had thrown her to the ground. When she looked up she saw him standing next to Abpor, a knife was in Darrok's hand which had been thrust deeply into the other Silurian's side. Everything stood silent for a moment, then Abpor collapsed to the floor.

When Darrok had brought the travellers into the city all he had wanted was to save his people. But Abpor was cruel and ambitious, he took what he wanted, but kept taking. He went to far, for all his years of hunting Darrok could not stand to watch unnecessary suffering. He also knew how the elders would react, they could not care about the pain Abpor had brought, only the results. He would be hailed as a hero, and a saviour, not a sadist and a murderer.

"That wasn't right," said Darrok slowly, "We do not advance ourselves through the suffering of others, maybe we do not deserve this planet."

But Haze wasn't listening, "Doctor!" she cried as she ran to his side, "Doctor, are you OK?"

"I'm fine thank you Liz. Now send for the Brigadier won't you, I think Morka's had it."

"What?"

"The confusion is a result of Abpor's invasion of his mind," Darrok said gravely, "I have seen it done before, but never this long or intense. You friend is lucky, he must have an exceptionally strong mind."

Haze smiled, "Strongest I've ever seen."

The Doctor pulled himself to his feet. Once standing he massaged his temples for a moment, then shook his head violently, as if trying to shake off the attack. Once he was done he turned to his saviour, "Thank you Darrok," he said, then looking down at Abpor's body, "I wish there had been another way."

"Was it true what he was saying Doctor?"

He nodded, "Every word sadly."

"Then you know how to save our people."

"Yes."

"But you are not going to."

"No. I'm sorry Darrok, I truly am, but I've seen the future. This planet is the home of two great civilisations, one has to fall for the other to rise. It's the way it has to be."

"One life must end for the other to begin, that has always been the way."

The Doctor smiled, he hadn't him expected to take the news so well. The one Silurian who could truly understand his fate was the one considered a savage by the rest. There was a lesson there somewhere....

"But there's still the problem of the moon," Haze broke the Doctor's train of thought, "It's still going to hit unless we do something."

"Right," added the Doctor, "We need to move it, just enough so it doesn't collide, but still forces the Silurians underground."

"And how do you propose we do that?"

"We need to get to the TARDIS. Darrok, can you take us back to where you found us, I need my ship."

"Too late Doctor, it is being brought to the city as wee speak."

*************************************************

At the edge of the jungle two beasts of burden carried their precious cargo. At the head the procession were Kutiipo and Porak, behind them the workers and the animal handlers. Despite their technological advancements this was a civilisation was still reliant on the labour of animals. The Silurians, much more than the humans that would proceed them, had managed to form an equilibrium with their world, they kept to their cities, based around natural cave systems, and left the jungles untamed. When these jungles needed to be traversed no feat of mechanical engineering could compete with the creatures that had evolved in the environment. Consequently two lumbering beasts were on their way back to the city. But Silurian technology still had its part to play. If left to their own devices the animals would have died out years ago, when the Earth was hit by a less than natural disaster. But Silurian scientists had been able to save some of the smaller creatures underground, while advanced knowledge of genetics had been able to bring back the bigger animals such the loaders. Between these two loaders was a ceramic sling which held the alien box.

*************************************************

From the hunter's cave the Doctor, Haze and Darrok watched as the TARDIS was brought into the city, laid to rest in a courtyard. This area lacked the refinement and beauty of other cities in the Silurian world. This city was new, built quickly to observe and counter the threat that faced their world as well as a acting home for the great minds of the species. In the past the empty sky had held little fascination for the Silurian race, and so the energies of their research had been poured into other areas, predominantly genetic engineering and exploration of the oceans. Bus as the object approached astronomy and space had to be mastered quickly.

"We do not have long," Darrok stated, "Already the best scientific minds are being assembled to examine your box."

"Will they be able to get inside?" Haze asked.

"Not without a key," replied the Doctor, "But they're still going to have a good go at it anyway, and all those scientists are going to make it impossible for us to get to it. If we're going to take it back we need to go now."

With news of their escape yet to reach the Elders the security was minimal, only Porak and Kutiipo stood watch over the prize.

"Now is the best time to strike," Darrok agreed, "The two who guard your box are my hunters. Porak I have known his whole life, he will listen to me. Kutiipo will be more difficult."

"Right then," the Doctor said, a little more cheerfully than was appropriate for the situation, "I suggest we take the direct approach."

Breaking cover he stood up and with his hands in his pockets casually walked over to where the TARDIS stood, Darrok and Haze following quickly behind him. Immediately the two guards struck a defensive pose.

"Let them past," Darrok commanded in a vain attempt to resolve the situation without any need for bloodshed, "We need access to the box."

Porak wavered for a moment, seemingly willing to step aside but Kutiipo stood firm.

"Where is Abpor?" she hissed, "We are to answer to him and only to him."

"Abpor is dead," Darrok said defiantly, "He was willing to torture and kill the travellers so he had to be stopped."

"You would doom our world to save the strangers Darrok?"

"I would."

There was a moment's silence, then Kutiipo hissed angrily, "Then we can allow you to go no further with this." She said, shifting to a battle stance.

Porak however was uncertain, torn between loyalty to his mentor and loyalty to his people.

"Leave us Porak, you know that I am right." Darrok's words were enough to tip the balance, the young Silurian took off at a run.

"Coward!" hissed Kutiipo.

"I will offer you one more chance Kutiipo, what we are doing is here is wrong, let me free the travellers."

"Never!"

With that final word Kutiipo lunged at Darrok, her hatred outweighing her duty.

As the attack was launched the Doctor dodged one way and Haze the other. Taking advantage of the confusion he ran to the TARDIS, he quickly had the door open and was in the control room with Haze right behind him.

"What about Darrok?" she asked, "Surely we aren't going to leave him."

"Of course not, we just need to find the right moment. Once we're all inside there's nothing we can do, so right now Darrok is our priority. Check the scanner."

Haze ran over to consult the screen. She watch as Darrok and Kutiipo mercilessly traded blows outside. Darrok was had the benefit of experience, but the years were taking their toll on him, whereas Kuttipo was young and lithe, but fought on instinct.

*************************************************

_Darrok._

Darrok felt a sharp pain to his face as the shaft of Kutiipo's spear connected with him, distracted by the voice in his head.

_Ouch, sorry about that. This is the Doctor, I've linked to your mind through the TARDIS. To the left!_

Darrok dodged the blow, this time from the sharp end of the spear.

_We need to get you inside, you're going to have to do exactly as I say. _

"Yes." Darrok said aloud, unsure how else to respond.

_Good_. _I need you to get your back to the TARDIS._

Darrok lunged forward, gripping Kutiipo's spear, trying to wrestle it from her grip. In doing so he forced them to turn in a half circle.

_Good, now you're going to have to trust me on this, let her gain the upper hand._

After everything that had happened that day Darrok was ready to put his trust into this one man, to the voice in his head. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and loosened his grip.

Mistaking the manoeuvre for a moment of weakness Kutiipo put all her force onto the next attack, forcing Darrok backwards, slamming his body into the TRARDIS.

Pinned by the shaft of the spear, unable to push his opponent away Darrok prepared to accept defeat. But the door swung open and Darrok fell backwards, and was quickly pulled inside, the door closed behind him. From a lying position he marvelled at the sight around him, this huge structure somehow inside this tiny box, a truly alien achievement.

The Doctor and Haze smiled down at him, "Welcome to the TARDIS Darrok," the Doctor had returned to using his voice, "A few quick repairs and then we'll be off."

*************************************************

In the great courtyard sat a mysterious blue box. For hours the greatest scientific minds of the Silurian world tried to break its secrets, to find a way in, but they failed. The box shot up into the air and was gone, and so was the last hope for their world.

*************************************************

The TARDIS held it's position in space. Behind it was the Earth, a shimmering mass of blue and green, still in its early years, still developing, and in front of it was what the Silurians called 'the little planet', a pleasant name for the object that would bring about the end of their civilisation. Haze looked around at the three of them aboard the TARDIS, a Silurian from the Earth's past, a Time Lord who held the planet's future in his hands and herself, a human far away from her own time. Past present and future all brought together for this single, decisive moment.

"Are you sure you can move the moon in this rickety old thing?" she asked, trying to get her mind off the magnitude of the situation.

"Of course," the Doctor replied confidently, "I once moved the whole planet with this rickety old thing."

"That was you? I knew it!"

"Hold on tight"

The control room shook as the TARDIS threw a gravity field around the enormous rock. The tiny box zipped across the blackness of space dragging the moon into it's historically accurate position. In that moment one civilisation was doomed, but another, along with the whole planet saved.

*************************************************

For a second time the TARDIS fell to Earth, but this time the landing was more gentle. The doors swung open and three figures stepped out of the impossibly small box.

"Head north," the Doctor instructed, "You'll come to a settlement. Find a scientist named Okdell, tell him that the object has moved and that his people must go underground to avoid the catastrophe." There was a sadness in his voice. He had just doomed one civilisation so another my exist.

"Thank you Doctor." replied Darrok.

"We'll be waiting for you here." The Doctor added.

But Darrok shook his head, "I won't be returning."

"What do you mean?" Haze asked in surprise.

"Darrok, you don't have to stay, I can take you anywhere in the universe," the Doctor pleaded, "Your world is going to die."

"Then I shall die with it. This planet is my home Doctor, I could not accept another."

"But what will you do? Surly you will still be accountable for helping us escape? Once Okdell starts communicating the hibernation plan your people will find you."

"I will not stay in the cities, I was always more at home in the jungles. I shall live out the final days there."

The Doctor put his hand on the Silurians shoulder, "In that case good bye Darrok, thank you for everything."

"Good bye Darrok." said Haze, echoing the sentiments.

Darrok turned and set out through the jungle. Once he was out of sight Haze turned to the Doctor,

"Well then, I think we have a TARDIS to fix," she started to say, but when the Doctor stood silent she added, "What's wrong?"

"Are you sure you want to keep going?" he asked solemnly.

"What do you mean, are you trying to kick me out?"

"No, of course not, it's just that....." his voice trailed off.

"Yes?"

"We ended a civilisation today Haze, nobody should have to see that."

"I understand, but that's the way it had to happen. When I first started researching aliens I met this man, a real conspiracy nut who'd been doing his own research for years. He contacted me soon after my site went live, said he admired what I was doing, believing like I did that the public had a right to know what was happening. But he also wanted to prepare me for what was out there, showing me a lot of his findings. Let me tell you, this man had seen some terrible things in his time. I'll never forget the last thing he said to me: 'The truth may not be pleasant, but I need to know what it is.' I've kept that in mind the whole time. What happened here today wasn't pleasant, but I'm not just going to go home and pretend it didn't happen, I need to keep going."

The Doctor put his arm round her shoulders and squeezed her reassuringly. She was strong, she'd be able to cope with what lay ahead, "There are terrible things out there Haze, but there are great things too, so many wonders, I have so much to show you."

"How do you do it though?" she asked, "How do you keep going?"

"Don't look back, just keep on walking."

End


End file.
